Plymouth Rotarian Receives Highest Award from Meredith Rotarian

       Scott King, a long-time Plymouth Rotarian from Holderness, was recently honored by Meredith Rotarian Bonnie Hunt when she named Scott a Paul Harris Fellow, one the highest honors that Rotary International offers its members. Paul Harris founded Rotary in 1905, and Harris spent much of his life trying to discover what makes people “do good” for others. Harris’s philosophy was that every worthy action and good deed must pass Rotary’s Four-Way Test by asking:  1) Is it the truth?  2)  Is it fair to all concerned?  3) Will it build good will and better friendships?  4) Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

       Bonnie Hunt and her fellow Rotarians from Meredith joined the Plymouth Club for breakfast at the Common Man with the idea of surprising Scott King with the Paul Harris Award since Scott’s life and actions have demonstrated the very best of Paul Harris’s dedication to “doing good.” Bonnie said, “I want to give a special shout-out to someone who is always there with a smile and a big hug for me…, and for his ‘we-can-get-it done attitude’… that gets whatever ‘it’ is done.” Bonnie went on to describe Scott’s long list of accomplishments -- all of which meet and exceed the Four-Way Test -- such as his work on the Rotary Riverfront Amphitheater, his extensive service and assistance to veterans, and special projects he has spearheaded such as the Wounded Warriors Program on Little Squam, the Holderness War Memorial, and the Holderness Historical Society Building.

       Scott’s love of his country and dedication to service goes all the way back to high school when he successfully lobbied to have the American Flag flown 24/7! He has decorated many funeral homes to honor veterans who served in the Tenth Mountain Division, so that when their family members arrived for a viewing, the home was proudly dressed to honor their loved one for their ultimate sacrifice to our country. As one of Scott’s fellow Rotarians said, “He is one of those guys who would give you the shirt off his back. He helps anyone in need…you want this guy in your foxhole. His is an example of how we should all behave – caring, concerned and compassionate.”

       Bonnie summed it up, “For my part, Scott’s the guy who gave me a rose – that doesn’t die – when he showed me the stone he had engraved for my daughter and then built a beautiful spot in a stone wall [in her memory]…for which I have no way to repay him – except to honor him through Rotary, and through the Rotary Foundation with the Paul Harris Award. Of all the people I know in Rotary, Scott King exemplifies “Service Above Self” – in all walks of his life; and he epitomizes the spirit and intent of the highest award that Rotary has to bestow.”